The Push Button Ignition System

Match lit is the simplest approach to initiating fire in the fire pit. Flick a grill lighter and turn on the gas. There is no fail safe though. If the flame goes out, gas will continue to pour from the fire ring. This is a concern to a lesser degree for a residential installation because there is usually supervision nearby. It would be a waste of personnel at a commercial site (hotel, spa, golf course, etc.) to assign someone just to watch a fire pit. Local building codes probably require a fail safe system at a commercial site anyway. Not using a flame fail safe system would be irresponsible endangerment of life and property, and then there is the consequential liability.

The push button ignition kit uses a 9 volt battery to provide power to the spark which ignites the gas to the burner. A sensor is positioned in the flame from of the burner holes. The sensor will signal the valve to close when it detects a loss of heat and the gas will cease to flow. Standard sizes are 18” (12” burner), 24” (18” burner), and 30” a (24” burner).

The push button assembly is the silver box on the right of this picture. This must be mounted on the inside with an opening in the side of the fire pit to access the ignition button. The push button box has no bottom. To replace the battery, lift the burner assembly and reach under the box from the inside. This requires a flex line connection between the push button ignition kit and the emergency shut off valve with reasonable slack.

For a fail safe burner system, the push button ignition kit is reliable and comparatively cheap. The sensor will detect the loss of heat if the flame goes out and will close the valve, thereby preventing gas (LP or NG) from being wildly released into the fire pit area.

Next blog: The Burner Ring Style Electronic Ignition Kit

Match lit is not the only way to fire the ring

The match lit method of igniting a gas fire pit fire ring is just what it sounds like.  Strike a match (better to use the longer grill lighters to increase the distance between your hand the igniting flame) and turn on the gas.  As discussed in the last blog, there some drawbacks to a match lit gas fire pit.  The most important is the lack of a flame control failsafe.  If an unattended gas fire pit flame goes out, there is nothing to cut the gas flow.  Gas has not fulfilled its destiny until it becomes flame.  Therefore, gas will seek an ignition agent, like that cigarette in someone’s hand, to become greater than itself.

In its simplest form, a flame failsafe is a valve and a sensor.  The sensor tip sets in the burner flame giving assurance to the valve that the gas is, indeed, burning.  Should the flame go out, the sensor quickly cools and signals the valve, “Hey!  Got gas.  Don’t got flame.  Shut down.”

Match lit gas fire pits are just fine for residential applications.  People generally don’t light the fire pit unless they intend to enjoy the warm spectacle.  Come on.  We’re turning money into fire here.  My father would get on us kids for leaving the TV on when no one was in the room.  “The furniture doesn’t need to be entertained.”  Same idea.

Flame control for public applications is an absolute must for liability reasons.  The cost to a hotel, spa, or golf course to pay to station someone at the fire pit for the burn duration is much more than building the fire pit using a failsafe system.  Ignition is either by using a hand held remote control or a wall switch.  Remote controls tend to walk off by themselves.  A wall switch works much better for public uses.  Unless a fire pit is intended to be on all the time, I suggest adding a timer to the wall switch.  This will help keep costs of operating the fire pit down and diminish the need for constant surveillance by paid personnel.

The alternatives to the match lit system are: battery powered, push button grill, electronic ignition kits, and Crossfire.

Match Lit – good/bad

The most common method of igniting a fire pit is to flick the grill lighter and turn on the gas. Whoosh! Flame. There are a couple of concerns of which you should be aware. First and foremost, there is no failsafe for a match lit gas fire pit and should always be attended. If the flame goes out gas will continue to flow through the burner. When the gas finally finds a proper ignition source, the whole neighborhood will suddenly know about a problem at your house. I recommend against using the match lit method for public use, such as hotels, spas, golf courses, etc because of liability issues. (More about electronic ignition systems, private and public use, later.)

The other concern is with larger burners. There is no problem that I am aware of lighting a 24” or smaller fire ring; but I wonder about lighting a 30” or larger burner. The 30” burner may have a 150k or 300k BTU supply. Fire rings larger than 30 inches (36, 42, and 48 inches) will certainly have 300k BTU or more gas supplies. That might make for a different WHOOSH. As explained in the very first blog entry, the larger the burner ring, the shorter the flame. That is because the gas is spread over a wider area. When the valve is opened, gas is fed to the hub and passed outward to the rim with holes in the piping along the way. What is it like to ignite that much gas from one place on the outer ring? Please let me know if you have match lit one of these larger rings. Did you reach in with a lighter or did you stand back and toss a torch? How did/do you get your fire pit lit?

Next blog – Electronic ignition systems